On Sept. 14, FIFA approved a change of national association for Sofia Huerta, making her eligible to represent the United States at the international level. Huerta had previously represented Mexico at the youth and senior levels. The very next day, Huerta made her U.S. WNT debut, coming on in the 51st minute of the match against New Zealand in place of Taylor Smith. Here are five things you should know about the newest member of the U.S. WNT player pool:
The Gem State
Sofia Huerta was born and raised in Boise, Idaho, making her the first player from the state of Idaho to earn a cap with the USA.
Huerta grew up as the youngest of three children, with her sister Andrea (six years older), and brother Alex (four years older) and their parents Jody, a Wisconsin native, and Mauricio, who was born and raised in Puebla, Mexico.
“I lived in Boise until I left for Santa Clara in 2011,” said Huerta. “Boise is such a beautiful place. It’s outdoorsy, people are very active and everyone is really nice. I try to go back whenever I get a chance. My parents still live there.”
A Love for the Ages
While Huerta’s childhood may seem relatively normal and All-American, Huerta’s parents story is a fascinating one, and one that the 24-year-old is very proud of and loves to share.
"My mom was born and raised in Wisconsin and went to the University of Wisconsin,” said Huerta. “My dad, who was born in Mexico and was in an engineering program in Puebla, was selected as one of four people who earned a spot to go study in the engineering program at the University of Wisconsin during his junior year and that’s where my parents met. After that one year, my dad returned home but my parents kept in touch and stayed together, and then four years later after my mom was all done with school, she got a pretty cool graduation ticket from her parents – a one way trip to Mexico. And they’ve been together ever since. It’s crazy to hear my parents talk about their early years together. Sometimes I don’t believe some of the stories they tell!”